Rescued Chilean miner gets invitation to Elvis Presley's mansion

[News_Editor]

Rescued Chilean miner gets invitation to Elvis Presley's mansion

2010-10-14 02:20:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE (BNO NEWS) -- Chilean miner Edison Peña Villarroel on Wednesday was invited to visit Graceland in Memphis, the mansion that legend Elvis Presley once called his home.

Villarroel, 34, was safely rescued on Wednesday after being trapped for more than two months underground at the San José copper-gold mine in northern Chile. It was one of the most complex rescue operations in history that continues nearly a day later to rescue his fellow miners.

The miner is a self-described Elvis Presley fan who sent a request for Presley's music to be sent down the mine while he was trapped underground. There he played Presley's music and kept spirits up by organizing sing-alongs with the 32 other miners.

Hours after Villarroel's successful rescue, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. announced that it would like to invite him to Presley's former home. "Graceland would like to welcome home Edison Peña, and along with the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau, has extended a special invitation for him and a loved one to visit Elvis' home in Memphis," a statement said.

"We are so glad he is safe, and wish the very best for the other miners still awaiting their rescue," the statement added. It was not immediately known if Vallarroel would accept the invitation.

Elvis Presley, often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", died on August 16, 1977 after he was found unresponsive on his bathroom floor at Graceland. He was 42.

The crisis at the mine began on August 5 when a part of the San José copper-gold mine in northern Chile collapsed, leaving 33 miners trapped 700 meters (2,300 feet) underground. More than two weeks later, relatives and rescue workers were shocked but relieved to find that the miners had survived and were in a good condition.

Over the next two months, rescue workers drilled several holes to lower a capsule down the shaft to evacuate the miners one by one. It was a process that was initially expected to take until Christmas, if not longer, but was already completed last week.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-14